Perfect Seared Scallops Recipe

Learn how to cook restaurant-worthy scallops at home. Our recipe guarantees beautiful golden-brown seared scallops and comes together in 10 minutes!

Scallops are one of the easiest things you can cook, especially if you sear them in a pan (they’re just as easy as shrimp). This is my go-to scallops recipe, and I’m happy to share it with you!

There’s no need to be intimidated. Scallops are easy to cook, I promise. With a few tricks, you’ll be cooking them like a pro in no time. Plus, I’ll show you how to make our delicious garlic basil butter to serve with them.

Key Ingredients

• Scallops: I look for large sea scallops since they taste sweet. I also prefer fresh. Frozen will work in this recipe, so check the tips section below for tips on thawing them before cooking.
• Oil, salt, and pepper: I cook them in a hot skillet with some oil. Any high-heat oil works. I especially love avocado oil. You’ll also want to season your scallops liberally before cooking them.
• Flour: While optional, I love dusting flour over mine before cooking them. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. You can skip this step if you don’t have flour or are gluten-free.
• Butter, garlic, basil, and lemon: It’s hard to describe just how delicious our garlic basil butter is with these seared scallops. I highly recommend it, and it only adds a minute or two of cooking time.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Cook Scallops Like a Pro

Tip 1: Pat them dry. I use a paper towel to pat them as dry as possible. Damp scallops don’t sear or brown in the pan. The drier they are, the better they will sear. Frozen scallops will have more moisture, so take extra care when patting them dry.

Tip 2: Lightly dust flour on each side. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. I use the same trick when searing fish, and even pork chops!

Tip 3: Season well. I use a generous amount of salt and pepper. I season one side of the scallops out of the pan, place them seasoned side down into the hot pan, and then while that side cooks, I season the other side.

Tip 4: Use a hot skillet. If they aren’t sizzling when you place them in the pan, it isn’t hot enough. You can always test the heat with one scallop and adjust from there.

Tip 5: Finish with our garlic basil butter. To really make these restaurant-worthy, use our garlicky butter. Scallops already taste incredible, but adding a bit of creamy butter, garlic, and fresh herbs at the end of cooking makes them out of this world. I also love using garlic butter when finishing our shrimp scampi recipe and cilantro lime butter shrimp.

Serving Suggestions

Many side dishes work well with seared scallops. I love creamy grits, polenta, mashed potatoes, and mushroom risotto. For a lighter, low-carb side, try mashed cauliflower or zucchini noodles.

For rice, take a look at our saffron rice, coconut rice or this cilantro lime rice. Roasted vegetables are also lovely.